Before you start to create an app there is an important step that you should consider taking because inevitably at some point you will want to move your application to another environment. Either a Dev to Test move or a Test to Production move.

Canvas apps can be exported and imported, but the trouble is that the export and imports do not include other items that the canvas app may depend on such as tables.

It is important that before you even start to create your app that you first create a solution. Then create the app and its components inside of that solution.